1959
by Harlahartall
Summary: The lives of two twins in their sophomore year, set in 1959. (High school AU)
1. Chapter 1

_(_ Hi there! So this is an idea I've had for months but couldn't ever quite get it out the way I wanted it. I'm still not completely happy with this, but I've honestly toyed with it for so long that I just wanted to get past this first chapter. I promise, it'll get better the more it develops! I've got a lot planned here. Also I am well aware that there are about 70000 SW high school au's, but I tried to make this one a little different so it wasn't just a repeat of everyone else's. Please please please don't hesitate to leave a review, it would really help! Hope you enjoy ❤️)

—

 _August 10th, 1959._

A shrill ring screamed about the dark bedroom of Luke Skywalker. Barely sitting up, Luke reached over to the small nightstand parallel to his bed and slapped his hand upon it, silencing the awful noise. The blonde, messy haired sixteen year old arose from a twin bed and exited his room sluggishly, making his way down the dimly lit hallway to the bathroom. On his way, Luke lightly rapped onto the white door across from his.

"Leia, get up."

Luke didn't particularly care if she responded or not, still far too tired to worry about anything except for the day ahead. The first day of his sophomore year had arrived and the young boy was all but excited for it; the previous school year had brought pesky bad skin, rude teachers, and even more rude students. (Luke thought that since the school was so large at least some of the attendants would be nice, but he was proved wrong when he'd finished the year with none of the friends he'd started with.) At the beginning of the year when Luke mistakingly made a comment about being bored at school, his father had forced him to get a job, but since he was only fifteen at the time the only job he could manage was rolling hay on his uncle's farm on the weekends and through the summer. Luke hated that job more than anything and was happy to quit due to the upcoming school year, which he prayed would be any better than the last.

After brushing his teeth and following out his morning routine- relieve himself, fix his hair, wash his face- Luke exited the small room and started back down the hallway. As he opened his door, he glanced up and saw his twin sister exit her room. Leia, with her dark hair messed in a similar fashion to Luke's, was clad in a pair of button down pajamas with small flowers dotting along the fabric. As she walked, the two acknowledged each other with a small nod.

Luke dressed quickly in a pair of dark jeans with the cuffs rolled and a pale yellow shirt, paired with plain black shoes. He didn't particularly care too much for fashion, so he was downstairs quickly, but he couldn't say the same for his twin, who tended to spend a lengthy amount of time on her hair every morning.

"Leia, hurry up!" He shouted, starting to become impatient sitting idly at the kitchen table.

From her vanity, Leia rolled her eyes and huffed. "I have the keys, you're gonna have to wait!" She yelled back. It was true- when the twins had taken their driver's test two weeks previous, Leia had passed, while Luke had not. It was his inability to parallel park, if she recalled correctly.

Leia found herself feeling rather enthusiastic for the start of of her sophomore year. Her freshman year had proved rather enjoyable; she'd made the school soccer team, passed all of her classes with flying colors, and become the youngest student body president in the school's history. Some particularly mean older girls had gossiped and spread a rumor that Leia had done vile things with the student council president in order to get the position, but the sixteen year old could only laugh and shake it off because those girls weren't smart enough to realize that the student council president had nothing to do with the student body president. _Smile and wave,_ she'd told herself. Other than that, 1958 had been very kind to the girl and she knew this year would be even better.

After she finished messing with her long brown tresses, Leia ran some Vaseline over her lips to make them shine and smoothed out her plaid skirt before going downstairs to meet her brother.

"Took you long enough." Luke grumbled, grabbing his backpack.

Leia looked up at him- despite the fact that they were twins, Luke was a good bit taller than she- and smirked. "When you get your license, then you can drive yourself to school,"

Luke's cheeks reddened. It wasn't his fault that their dad's car was too big for him to parallel park with. As if on cue, their father, Anakin, entered.

"You two heading out?" The tall man asked, placing a pair of glasses on his face as he picked up the last week's paper from the table where Luke had been sitting.

"Yes sir," the pair responded in unison.

Anakin looked up at his children standing side by side and gave them a toothless smile. Not in a non affectionate way, of course, but after the death of his wife sixteen years previous, he had become reserved and quiet. It didn't mean he didn't love them- his children were his whole world, and some might consider the way he treated them to be too strict or harsh, but he couldn't fathom the idea of losing them too.

"Alright. Be safe. Home by four o'clock, no later." His eyes returned to his paper.

"Yes sir." The pair repeated, Leia reaching down to kiss her father's cheek before they exited the house.

—

Luke's day was already proving to be better than last year. In his second period, agricultural science, he'd made friends with a dark haired junior named Wedge Antilles. Turns out, the two had grown up right down the street from each other and had gone to the same elementary school together. Lunch now upon them, they sat together outside under a tree and watched the other students around them.

"Oh my God, did you see that?" Luke doubled over sideways in laughter at a student he presumed to be a freshman trip over the large roots of one of the nearby oak trees.

"Rookie mistake," Wedge chuckled, biting into an apple.

Luke sighed and shrugged. "I guess I can't make fun, I tripped on those at least seven times last year."

"My freshman year, a foreign exchange student named Ahsoka- well, we called her assie, but anyways- a girl named Ashoka wore a pair of heels on picture day and absolutely ate it on those roots. Still my favorite moment of high school so far." Wedge recounted, laughing as he went along.

Luke once again broke into laughter at the thought of some poor girl tripping in front of everyone. The pair spent the rest of the lunch hour retelling all of their stories about people getting hurt and selfishly delighting in those peoples' pain. (Luke's particular favorite was the time in the eighth grade when Leia's shoe had gotten stuck in the crack of the side walk and she fell dramatically, scraping the living daylights off of her knee. He knew she'd kill him for bringing it back up, but he didn't really care.)

"We're a real pair of jerks, you know that?" Luke wiped a tear from his cheek, clutching his ribs.

The school bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. Wedge stood and offered Luke a hand, dusting his legs off after he stood.

"I enjoyed this, it was therapeutic. Same time tomorrow?" Wedge gave Luke a lopsided smile.

Luke's heart filled with joy, so genuinely happy to just have a friend. He agreed to the arrangement and headed off to his 5th period, hopeful and full of excitement for the new year.

—

Sophomore year was not even one day over before Leia decided that it was going to be the worst year ever. The drama started in her 1st period when she sat down in biology next to a boy who appeared unsuspecting- she was proved wrong when he made a sly comment about how "cute" she was. Naturally, the girl stood to move but was cut off by her teacher, a small old man named Mr. Palpa, snapping that she needed to sit and that the seats they were sitting in were where they were to sit for the rest of the year.

The seating arrangement was annoying but not unbearable for Leia. Rather, it was the fact that during her 6th period, P.E, she'd delivered what she saw as a gentle punch to a senior boy who practically closed in on her in the corner of the gymnasium that made her day so awfully. It goes without saying that she was automatically sent to the principal's office.

Leia didn't know why so many boys insisted on messing with her, seeing as she didn't wear anything especially provocative, and she made an effort to steer clear of exuding signs of flirtation. She was far too busy with her studies to worry about going on dates and wasting a boy's money on movies. Nonetheless, getting sent to the office for the first time in her life was an absolutely mortifying experience for the known goody-two-shoes.

Normally the end of the day was something Leia looked forward to, because it meant getting to go home and not having to worry about anything except for dinner. But as she awaited her brother's arrival, an intense anxiety took over the brunette stemming from the oncoming wrath of her father.

Luke closed the door with a smile and buckled his seatbelt.

"What's got you so cranked?" She sneered, hooking her seatbelt and turning the car on.

"What's got you so salty?" He responded, mocking her tone.

Starting on the short drive to their house, Leia rolled her eyes and tried to ignore the fact that she kind of wanted to cry. "Pops is gonna kill me. I got sent to the office today-"

"Leia! No you did not!" Luke's eyes went wide.

"It's not my fault!" She defended. "Some senior was hitting on me in P.E. and I told him to stop! But apparently, it's 'unladylike' to tell a boy to leave you alone!" Her tone rose higher and higher as she tweaked her story to her twin.

Luke closed his eyes and pinched his nose. "Jeez, Leia... Dad is already strict enough, he's gonna kill you!"

Leia's eyes widened and she gave her brother an exasperated look. "Thanks, that really helps."

Once inside, Luke made a beeline for his bedroom and Leia tried to follow suit, but knew she was in for it when she passed Anakin sitting in his lounge chair. His legs were crossed in a causal manor, but his rigid expression told otherwise and Leia was sure the school had placed a phone call to his office the minute the incident was reported.

"Hello, Leia."

Wincing, the teen turned to face her father, whose cold tone made her wish the world would swallow her whole.

"Care to explain why I was interrupted at work with a phone call saying you got into a fight?"

Leia stared at the floor, interested in the deep brown carpet of the living area. "He kept hitting on me, dad! I know I shouldn't have hit him but... well gosh, what else was I supposed to do?!"

Anakin ran a frustrated hand over his face. "When did I ever teach you kids that fighting was okay? Violence doesn't solve anything."

The cool voice speaking to her made Leia's emotions switch from fear to anger. "Dad, that's absolutely ridiculous!" She shouted. "Sorry, but didn't you used to get in fights all the time when you were my age? I didn't even get in that much trouble, anyways! They just told me not to do it again," she rolled her eyes and folded her arms.

Anakin stood, towering well over his daughter. "You do not raise your voice at me, young lady." His tone was angry and hot. "I don't care what I used to do, we're talking about what you're doing. Now, you're grounded for the next two weeks. No exceptions. You will drive yourself and your brother to and from school and that's it."

Leia's eyes filled with frustrated tears. "That's so ridiculous! Besides, it's not like you let us go anywhere anyways!" She yelled dramatically, turning to go to her room.

Anakin's eyebrows raised. "Don't walk away from me when I am talking to you! Just for that, consider it three weeks."

Leia turned sharply to be father. "Oh, my god!"

"Care to make it four?"

She inhaled a deep, shaking breath. "No, sir."

"That's what I thought. Now go to your room, and think about what you've done today." Anakin pointed to the stairs.

Watching his only girl trying not to cry as she walked away from him shattered Anakin's heart. He didn't like being stern with the twins, but Leia had too much of her mother in her. She had always possessed a rebellious and wild streak in her, no matter how hard she worked to maintain a good reputation. She was too wild and Anakin was positive he was getting too old to know what to do with her anymore. And her bringing up his past made him flare in a way he hadn't since the days she spoke of- who had told her of those times? What else of his past did she know? Anakin sat back in his chair and closed his eyes, wishing nothing more than for his wife to be able to go upstairs and deal with their daughter better than he could.

—

Luke listened intently to his sister and father arguing from the top of the stairs where he was out of sight from the two. He felt bad for Leia- he knew she was excited for this year to go well and it was already off to a rotten start. He'd also been the subject of his father's wrath time and time again (Leia was much better at not getting caught doing bad things), so he knew she was probably crumbling down there. After about 10 minutes of listening to the argument, Luke stood and quickly slid into his bedroom after he heard heavy feet pounding up the staircase. He winced sharply as he heard Leia's door slam.

Luke laid on his bed and grabbed one of the model airplanes off of the shelves above the headboard, examining it deeply as he felt out of his element, unable to help his sister.


	2. Chapter 2

The already minimal conversation between the twins and their father practically ceased after the first day's argument, mostly due to Leia's obstinacy and extraordinary inability to just let things go. She stopped speaking to her father all together, which both of the men in the house found extremely over dramatic. But Luke didn't mind too much- he wasn't exactly close with Anakin anyways- but it did make for extremely awkward tension during dinner every evening.

"So, how was school today?" Anakin asked without looking up as he cut into the meatloaf he'd prepared.

The family of three sat around a small, oval shaped table with four seats placed around it. On the far end Anakin sat, still dressed in his starched button down and khaki pants from his workday at the town manufacturing plant. To his left was Luke, who ate- or really, inhaled- his food seemingly unconcerned about the rest of the family. And finally, at the end, across from Anakin, sat Leia, who spent the evening staring at her plate and pushing the food around.

Leia remained silent after the question, taking a small bite off of her plate to feign preoccupancy. Luke took the question instead and replied, "Fine, in Algebra today we started learning about polynomials. I guess I understand it alright," he shrugged.

Anakin nodded and continued eating. The rest of the meal was had in total silence, save for the sounds of chewing and the occasional scrape of forks and knives against the white China. Luke thanked all of his lucky stars when he finished and his father let him excuse himself, happy to be away from the almost visibly thick tension at the dinner table.

Anakin cleared his plate and stood, moving towards the kitchen. Before he left the dining room, he turned to glance and his daughter and opened his mouth to make a comment on how rude it was to not eat a meal someone prepared for you, but the man decided against it in light of being the mature adult in the situation.

—

The first two weeks of the grounding slugged by for Leia, the situation at home only marginally worse than the one at school. She absolutely dreaded going to first period every day, since the boy- whom she found out to be named Han Solo, a name that Leia personally thought sounded ridiculous- that shared a table with her proved to be just as annoying as she'd originally penned him to be. He'd constantly made stupid jokes in class as an obvious grasp for attention. Sitting next to him every day made the girl's blood boil and she thought she was going to snap when he joked about her getting in trouble.

"Well, look at our little troublemaker," Han taunted, a wide smile on his face.

Leia huffed and set her binder down, swiping her hands under her legs as she took her seat. "Good morning, Han."

She'd hoped ignoring him would make him stop, but it only seemed to fuel his comments. "Y'know, I woulda never pegged you for a bad girl. Aren't you the student council queen or somethin'?" Han kept his eyes on her.

Leia didn't know why that comment had infuriated her so much, but she clenched her fist and turned to Han. "I was the student body president last year." She said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Han raised his eyebrows and smiled, letting out a small "oh" in a sarcastic voice.

She noticed that the teacher was taking a particularly long time to get to class, something she knew Han would take advantage of.

"So, what'd they give you? Some licks? Detention?" Han quizzed, fiddling with his fingernail absentmindedly.

Leia let out another sigh. "Are you writing a novel?" She quipped.

"Listen princess, you don't have to get all hissy with me, I've spent plenty of time up in that office." He raised his hands innocently.

"It's a wonder you're still in school," she commented with a bored voice.

Han said up a bit straighter, slightly offended. "Well jeez, your worship, sorry for tryin' to offer some comfort,"

Leia's eyes nearly rolled out of her head at Han's second use of a stupid nickname. She mustered a fake smile and whispered, "get bent."

Before Han could jeer any further, Mr. Palpa arrived and apologized for his absence before delving headfirst into their daily lesson, to Leia's great appreciation.

The tall, dark haired senior sitting next to her possessed rather attractive features, Leia noted, due in part by the fact that she'd overheard some of the girls in the class discussing his face for a lengthy ten minutes. Despite that, she quickly decided that his awful personality absolutely overrode any appeal in her opinion. She had learned far too much about him in two weeks; for example, the fact that he played football his freshman and sophomore years, but quit after some of his older teammates were picking on some kid and they were all so scared of Han after he beat them up that he had to leave the team. At least, that's how he told it, but judging by his lanky physique, Leia wasn't so sure. Now that boy, who apparently went by Chews, was best friends with Han. That story alone was more information than Leia ever wanted or needed to know, but another thing that she learned was that Han definitely had a penchant for talking and never really seemed to shut up.

As Leia made her way to 2nd period, she caught sight of Luke in the hallway and smiled, throwing a hand up to him.

"Hey sis," he waved back, catching up to her.

"What do you have this period again?" She asked, barely remembering the schedule he'd shown her before school began.

"Ag science. It's a blast, I don't think you'd like it though. There's a lot of boys in that class." He explained, aware that most of the boys in the school were beyond unattractive to his sister. "Hey there's one of 'em, hey Wedge!" Luke motioned to a boy to his right, someone Leia had seen in the halls before but never truly talked to. "Wedge, this is Leia. Have you two met?"

Leia outstretched a hand to the taller brunette boy. "Can't say we have. Glad to see my baby brother making friends," she joked.

"We're twins!" Luke furrowed his brows at his sister.

Wedge laughed and politely shook Leia's hand, and the two exchanged a few more words before parting ways. In the back of her mind, Leia noted that hardly any of her friends from last year were really making any kind of effort to talk to her this year. Perhaps it was just a difference in classes, or that they'd heard what she'd done, but it didn't sit well with Leia.

—

Luke's days seemed to be going by rather quickly, something he was most definitely grateful for. The only class that refused to move, it seemed, was his 4th period home economics class. He didn't have any particular interest in the subject, but when selecting classes for the year, he didn't have anything else he needed to do so he figured it would be fine. It turned out that filling his empty slot with home Ec. Was a mistake, mostly due to the teacher. The woman in question was a frail old woman named Mrs. Kanata, who was clearly past the retirement age, and someone who did not take kindly to modern students. She was one of those old fashioned women who thought the "hipcats" (actual quote) of this day and age were ungrateful brats and haven't had to work for anything like the way their parents did. Luke personally thought she was off her rocker, but kept to himself. One day Mrs. Kanata announced to the class that she'd be assigning them partners for a project, something that made Luke's heart fill with dread as he hadn't made any friends in this class yet.

"Alright, let's see... Luke Skywalker?" The blonde looked up, anxiously awaiting his partner assignment. "Han Solo."

Luke looked around to see if he could find this Solo character. His eyes fell upon a rather tall, deep brunette boy dressed in dark clothing approaching him. He'd never talked to Han before, he'd only seen him sitting in the corner of the large classroom, but Luke found him slightly intimidating with his hard set features. Han pulled out a chair next to Luke and spun it around so he could sit backwards in it.

"Hi, I'm Luke." The younger boy flashed a quick smile.

"Han. So, I wanna get this done as quickly as possible, for both of us. You wanna work at your house or mine?" Han spoke casually.

Luke cleared his throat. "Uh... mine will work, I guess. We have supplies that we could use there. You free after school today?"

Han gave a smirk. "Yeah, sounds swell. Give me your address and I'll met you there."

"You drive?" Luke asked, tearing out a piece of paper to write the address on.

Han tapped a pencil on the deep brown desk. "Fastest car in the county," he beamed with pride. "It's a '49 Ford, she's a real beauty. She's an oldie, but she flies like a falcon."

Luke glanced away awkwardly, feeling extremely uncomfortable. "Well, here's the address. It's a white house, you'll see my sister's car in the driveway probably."

Han didn't care enough to verbally ask, but he was intrigued by the thought of Luke having a sister. He wondered if she was pretty, or if she looked like Luke. This kid seemed to be kind of a wet rag, but he was probably smart which could help him with this group project. His thoughts wandered about for the rest of the period as Luke rambled on, occasionally nodding in agreement when he thought he heard the kid suggest something for the project. Han wondered about Luke's mystery sister some more- was she older? Most likely, since Luke looked to be about fourteen and he mentioned that she could drive. Han swore he'd heard that Skywalker name before, but shook it off and figured he'd heard it at an awards ceremony or something of that sort.

—

Leia found herself waiting a lot longer than usual for Luke after school. Normally he arrived a few minutes after she did, since her 7th period was a good bit closer to the parking lot than his. But when five minutes passed, then ten, then fifteen, she began to get anxious. (Leia nor Luke would never admit it to anyone, but they were one-hundred percent sure that they had some sort of twin telepathy and when they were separated, they both swore they could feel it.) As the clock inches closer and closer to four o'clock, Leia knew she had to leave if she wanted to avoid any further trouble with her father. Pulling out of the parking lot, the sixteen year old spent the entire drive fretting over what she was going to tell Anakin when she arrived without Luke. Her worries were turned into pure anxiety when she pulled into her driveway and found another car there, a dingy old ford, and her thoughts raced about what could've possibly been going on.

Leia quickly moved into the house, letting out a large breath of relief when she saw Luke sitting at the kitchen table from around the corner. Once she knew he was safe, her cheeks reddened with anger.

"Luke, what on earth is wrong with you?!" She angrily shouted. "You think you're real slick, just leaving and getting a ride home with someone without telling me?"

After setting her things down, Leia rounded the corner and stopped dead in her tracks.

Han Solo sat at her kitchen table.

—

(A/n: hi! This chapter came to me much, much faster than the last. I'm loving getting to develop the characters and introduce everyone in my own way, it's very exciting! Also I'd just like to note that every story I mention in this story is something that happened to me at some point, for example the girl tripping on the sidewalk in 8th grade or the girl falling over the tree roots in heels. That last one may or may not have been me. I hope you all enjoyed chapter 2! Please leave a review if you'd like, it means a lot! ❤️)


	3. Chapter 3

Han looked up from the poster on child development that he and Luke had been working on since they'd arrived to Luke's house. He'd never admit it, but Han felt slightly overwhelmed and very out of place sitting in the confines of the large, olive colored walls of the dining room. The dining table was small but still nice, a dark oak, polished with a glossy finish, with four matching chairs around it. Luke's house was far bigger than the comparably small one that Han lived in on the other side of town, and being in it brought up deep feelings of jealousy in the seventeen year old. Still, he was happy to have a partner on a project that was willing to do most of the work so Han didn't have to. As he rose his head in response to the loud female voice entering the room, he almost couldn't believe his eyes.

Leia was Luke's sister.

"I don't know who you think you are, kid, but- Han?" The small girl stopped abruptly.

A wide grin spread across Han's face as he leaned back in his chair. "Well, look who it is. Everyone's favorite troublemaker," he jeered happily.

Leia pieced together the situation quickly; Luke and Han seemed to be working on some kind of school project, which made her heart drop as she realized that she'd probably have to see Han after school for the next few days as they completed the assignment. That was the last thing she wanted or needed in her life- more Han.

Luke turned to meet his sister's angry glare. "Oh.. I'm so sorry, sis, I completely forgot to tell you that I was gonna catch a ride home with Han. We're working on a project for Home Ec.," he explained, motioning to the large poster board and various markers on the table.

"Yeah, I see that." Leia responded sardonically, clearly agitated.

"I got him home safe and just fine, no need to worry, princess." Han was still grinning up at Leia.

Leia moved past the dining room and began towards the staircase, but not before turning and finishing her rant. "I don't care how safe he is, if my dad finds out about this... just, don't do it again." Her tone was serious as she left the room.

Inside, Han's emotions seemed to do a complete flip. While he'd originally felt smug and delighted at the odds of the situation, her stone faced reaction to his teasing made him feel almost... guilty? Perhaps more a mixture of guilt and anger. Why did she have to be so serious all the time? Luke was clearly fine, he was working happily on the project. And what did she even mean about her dad finding out? Of course Han wasn't going to talk to her father, he never talked to girls' fathers. Not that Leia was a girl in _that_ regard to him, she was an annoying little goody two shoes. Sure, she was kind of pretty but.. no, Han mentally cleared his thoughts. He always hates it when his brain went through thoughts at lighting speed. It stressed him out.

Once she was gone, Han leaned forward on the table, propped on his elbows. "Well gee, you didn't tell me _she_ was your sister."

Luke looked up at Han. "What does that mean? Don't even think about hitting on her," he warned, voice turning into a mumble.

Han let out an amazed laugh. "Hell no, not in this life. She's in my first period and trust me, that's enough of her."

The blonde decided against questioning Han's comments any further, internally deciding it wasn't worth it. "Good. Now, would you pass me that red marker?"

—

To Leia's delight, the boys finished their project faster than she'd predicted. That meant no more Han in her only sanctuary, although she had trouble believing anything outside of her bedroom was welcoming, since she'd cut off her father. Deep down, Leia knew that she was being slightly over dramatic, but the whole ordeal was just so _ridiculous_ to her that she'd decided that headstrong was a better approach that crumbling under her father's grip. The punishment was nearing its end, but the girl was undecided on what her relationship with Anakin would become once it was up.

It wasn't that she hated her father, in the depths of her heart she still adored the man. He was her hero, her first love. But there was no denying that the man was a real- hard ass was the only word the girl could conjure, but refrained from saying it aloud- tough father and often times took it a bit too far for her liking. She knew she was his baby girl, but Leia thought that she deserved a little more respect.

Laying on her small bed, the teen was stirred from her thoughts by the sound of feet coming up the stairs. Normally, she would have dismissed it as Luke, but there were clearly two sets of feet this time. Was Anakin making a rare appearance on the second floor? No, she decided, the feet didn't sound like they were wearing her father's soft house slippers. These were... boots? Arising cautiously, Leia moved to the doorway and stuck her head out.

"Hey, princess!"

Leia could not believe that she was standing in _her_ bedroom, in _her_ hallway, in _her_ house, looking at damn Han Solo.

"Oh my... why are you in my house?" She asked bluntly.

"Well, jeez, thanks for the warm welcome. As a matter of fact, ma'am, I left my backpack here the other day." He sneered, walking past her without moving his eyes away.

"You carry a backpack?" She scoffed, leaning into the doorframe.

Luke looked back and forth between the two as they bickered, unsure of whether he should stay or retrieve Han's backpack. It was strange to him, watching the two argue as if they were old friends or lovers. That thought made him shudder internally- Leia may have been five minutes older, but Luke took on a protective role over his sister and the idea of her going fast with a kid like Han was rather repulsive. He was lazy, slightly rude, and generally just an obnoxious kid all together.

"Whatever, your opinion ain't important to me, sister." Han shrugged, finally able to move into Luke's room and grab his belongings.

Leia, on the other hand, simply rolled her eyes and reentered her room with a gentle slam of the door.

—

Although the beginning of the school year brought out a familiar feeling of doom and dread for most students, Luke included, the one thing that the entire school seemed to agree upon as the redeeming factor was the arrival of football season. School spirit went to an all time high, with posters crowding the walls of the hallways and glitter of the school colors seemingly everywhere. It made Luke's heart full. It was also a great time for sibling bonding with Leia, who adored the season just as much, if not more, as he did.

That's why he felt almost bad for her when they sat huddled on the cold silver bleachers at their football stadium, and saw a particularly tall, dark haired senior making his way to them.

"You've got to be kidding me!" He heard her hiss.

Not bothering to introduce himself, Han took a seat to Leia's right. Luke mentally noted that Leia didn't seem to scoot over as he figured she would, but the thought passed quickly.

"Hello, Han." She muttered.

Han smirked at the twins. "Hey, kids. Hope you don't mind watching the game with me,"

Leia watched Han pull out a small bag of M&M's from his dark jacket. When he saw her glance, he stopped midway to popping one of them in his mouth. "Want one?" He offered. "I ain't got cooties."

"How do I know you haven't poisoned these?" The girl chastised herself mentally for bantering- she was supposed to hate him.

"You're too pretty to poison," He winked in response.

Leia hoped the fact that the cold air would excuse her quickly reddening cheeks, and thanked Luke in her mind for providing a distraction as he accepted Han's offer. Thankfully, the announcer in the press box a few rows above the group started his familiar spiel, signaling the grinning of the game.

"Let's go rebels!" Leia shouted amongst the various cheers of the crowd.

Han snuck a sideways glance at her- she seemed so soft when she wasn't telling him off. He shook his head gently, more mentally than physically, and focused on the game before him.

—

Three quarters had passed and both twins could safely say they had never been so on the edge of their seats. What surprised them more than the incredibly close score- 40 to 44 with three minutes left- was the fact that Han was so into the game. The two had both separately decided that he didn't strike them as they school sports type, but those thoughts were long gone as he too sat on the edge of the bleachers yelling and cheering with his whole heart.

"Run! Run!" He screamed, pumping his fist in the air as the team's quarterback got hold of the ball.

Leia couldn't hardly stand the intensity of the game. Rising to her feet, she did a jump and too raised a fist. "Yes, yes, go!"

Everyone's ears were filled with a roaring, thunderous applause as they watched the player practically dive into the end zone. Not one member of the community attending the game was sitting in that moment- their first win of the season was always the most glorious. Luke jumped from his seat and gave his sister a hard high five before turning to the student to his left and repeating the motion. Without thinking, Leia turned to her right and threw her arms gleefully around Han, who didn't seem to protest the abrupt affection as he laughed and wrapped his long arms around her small frame. The sound of the band standing and playing the school's fight song served as an alert to Leia that it was time to stop, and the hug was far too inappropriate. But once the fight song was finished, she was trapped into the school tradition of standing side by side and linking arms to sing the Alma Mater.

" _Praises we sing to the black and the gold..."_

Leia couldn't stop thinking about that hug. It felt so natural to her, it made her heart pound.

" _And pledge to Gala High, forever more to hold..."_

He was so warm, despite the steadily dropping temperature. She didn't understand what she was feeling- he was so repulsive!

" _Our school has true, loyal hearts which, shall forever be..."_

Trying desperately to shake Han from her thoughts, Leia was thwarted when he looked down at her with that stupid smirk he always wore before he continued singing along.

" _Strong, full of courage, and be faithful unto thee!"_

Leia was relieved to reach the song's end and slip out of Han's arms. She wasn't sure where exactly she was heading, since Luke had already wandered into the crowd to visit on the field, but she just knew whatever she was feeling, she didn't like it.

—

(A/n: sorry I took so long to write this, and sorry I got so into the football section, I love that sport lol! And sorry for the han Leia overload this chapter, I'm just trying to not drag everything out but also not rush things, y'know? I promise there will be more Luke next chapter. Hope you enjoyed, don't forget to leave a review if you'd like!❤️❤️)


	4. Chapter 4

(A/n: Hi folks! Sorry this chapter took so long, I was really busy and had super bad writer's block, and then when inspiration struck last night I was so tired I fell asleep while writing, lol! But I hope you enjoy this super super long chapter, I started writing and couldn't stop. It's a lot, but it's my favorite so far! Enjoy ~)

—

Once that first football game had passed, Han had taken it upon himself to integrate himself into Luke and Leia's group, if one could call it a group. He'd started hanging around them more often, and seemed to make it a tradition to sit with them at every football game since the first. Leia wished she felt nonchalant about it, but in fact, it stressed her out; his presence made her feel nervous, something she never thought she'd experience around a boy. Leia was always so sure of herself, who the hell did Han think he was marching himself into her life and making her feel all strange?

Regardless of her incomprehensible feelings, Leia was happy to have a new friend- the mysterious 'Chewie' she'd heard so much about. With their first meeting, she'd pinned the (very) tall eighteen year old as rude and loud, which made her understand why he and Han were such good friends. But the senior quickly redeemed himself in her opinion when he brought her breakfast out of the blue one morning, purely because "she was so small" and "needed to eat". As Leia hung around the boy more and more, she realized he was not as rude and loud as she'd pinned him for; he was simply _vociferous._

Luke enjoyed the new friend group as well, however he did not forget about Wedge and the boys continued their tradition of eating lunch together every day.

"So, what's the deal with Leia and that Solo kid? Are they going together?" Wedge asked one lunch, pulling a sandwich out of his lunch sack.

Luke shook his head and pulled his meal out as well. "No, not that I know of. He's fine but... I don't know."

"Aw, look at Luke being protective of his sister!" Wedge teased as he elbowed Luke in the ribs gently.

"Shut up! I'm just worried he's gonna use her. I don't know though, I could be wrong." Luke explained.

Almost as if on cue, the two boys' eyes landed on Leia and Han, walking across the courtyard. They seemed to be engaged in a happy conversation, but he'd seen the pair bicker far too often for him to be sure anymore. That was one of the reasons Luke didn't get that pair; there was clearly something between them, but just when you think they're getting cozy, they turn around and start butting heads at every opportunity. It made absolutely no sense to the teen and he chose to ignore it all together.

"So how's it been being on a winning football team?" Luke asked, resting his arm on his knee. He was referring to the upsetting past few sports seasons that had come from the school.

Wedge beamed, subconsciously adjusting his letterman sweater. "Absolutely boss! Junior year is proving to be mighty kind to me, my friend," the beam turned into a smooth grin. "How come you don't play?"

"My old man won't let me. He's not really about letting us do sports, the only reason Leia was allowed to be on the soccer team is because she pitched an absolute fit." The younger boy told.

"Why is he so crazy on the two of you?" Wedge curiously inquired.

Luke stiffened a bit. "Well, my mom passed when we were really little, so I think he's just scared of us getting hurt or something. I guess I get it, but it still think it's a little unfair. And it's not just sports, he's strict with everything! We have to be home at exactly four o'clock, and I failed my stupid drivers test so he told me I'm clearly not responsible enough to get another attempt til next year. How bogus is that?!" Luke hadn't intended to ramble like that, and he realized his cheeks were getting darkened with anger. "I'm.. I'm sorry, Wedge, I didn't mean to go off like that,"

Wedge gave a dismissing wipe of his hand. "Don't worry about it."

"You know, when I first met you, I thought you were gonna be a total ass," Luke admitted. "Now I know that you are an ass, but an ass with a heart."

"An ass that'll kick your ass!" Wedge warned with a laugh.

—

"So how come people call you Chewie?" Leia asked, the group of four walking out to the parking lot after school one Friday.

Chewie, who she had noticed was particularly quiet, did not answer. Instead, Han turned his head to her and gave a small smile. "He's always chewin' gum," he chuckled.

"Really?"

The tallest of the group leaned over to Leia's view and responded simply by blowing a bubble.

Leia shrugged to herself, wondering how she'd never noticed that before. There were always things to learn about people, she supposed, and Chewie was practically silent so she knew she had a lot of learning to do with that one. So far she'd found out that he was a few months older than Han, used to be on the basketball team but quit because he "didn't like it", which Han later explained to her that he wasn't very good, and most recently the bubble gum fact.

"So, are the wonder twins making an appearance at Calrissian's party this evening?" Han asked in a mock cordial tone.

"Absolutely not, there's no way dad's gonna let us go to a party over in Bespin Lakes. Or really go to a party in general," Leia responded, pulling her keys out of her bag.

"Are you going?" Luke asked, looking at the two seniors.

"I dunno, might stop by, Calrissian and me go way back. Used to play little league baseball together. His parties are fun, I hear." Han returned casually.

"Well, it doesn't matter, because we aren't gonna be allowed to go." Leia reached for the door of her vehicle and unlocked it.

"Whatever, your loss sister," Han raised his hands half way up his body. "See ya on Monday," he turned away on his heel, starting towards his car.

As the twins settled into their seats, Leia noticed Luke wearing a puzzled look on his face, as if he was in questioning thought. Turning on the car and pulling out of the lot, Leia immediately knew what her brother was thinking and shot it down quickly.

"No."

"No what?" Luke furrowed his brow.

"No, you and I are not sneaking out to go to that party!"

"C'mon, Leia! We never get to have any fun, don't you wanna live a little?" Luke pleaded.

"What's gotten into you?" Leia couldn't believe what she was hearing from Luke. He knew just as well as she did that if they were to get caught, they wouldn't be allowed to do anything ever again.

"Han's gonna be there," Luke gave a knowing smile and wiggles his eyebrows.

"And what does that mean to me?" Leia kept her gaze fixed on the road.

"Oh, I know you like him. It's easy to see."

Leia's grip on the wheel tightened slightly. "I don't know what precisely you're talking about. But like I said, it doesn't matter because we are not going!"

"You're such a buzzkill." He tolled his eyes and slumped into his seat.

"One of us has to be," Leia retorted quietly.

—

As they often did on Friday evenings, the twins sat up in their respective rooms. In Leia's, she sat with her back flat against her bed and rested her feet vertically against the wall as she extended her arms about her head so she could read her book. In the corner of the warmly lit room sat her record player, which was set on a low volume playing her ' _Greatest Hits: '58 Edition'_ record. She was perfectly content like this, dressed in her comfiest wool socks and one of Anakin's old sweaters that she'd taken some time ago when she was doing laundry.

Meanwhile, across the hall, Luke sat focused at his desk, hands steadily working on a mode airplane. That was a guilty pleasure of his; it was something Anakin and Luke had done together when he was a child, and even after Anakin decided it was too juvenile Luke continued spending some of his work earnings on small models from the war and fixing them up for his shelves. And while some boys his age might have found spending a Friday night like that extremely unappealing, he too was perfectly content just as he was.

Until he heard a tap on the window.

Luke stood up cautiously, a confused expression on his face as to who or what could be beckoning him. His immediate thought was that the wind had blown a branch from one of the large trees in the yard into the window, but upon investigation by opening the window he found that there was no wind. Luke looked from side to side perplexedly, until a small "psst" could be heard from the ground below.

"Han?!" Luke whispered.

Another rock in his reared back hand, Han waved up to the window. "Hey kid, you guys up for some fun tonight?"

"Oh my god, are you crazy?! My dad is literally going to kill you if he sees you out here!" Luke replied in awe.

Instead of responding, Han moved to the narrow oak tree nearest to the house and made a jump, long arms grabbing a hold of one of the lower branches. Swinging his feet slightly and planting them on the trunk, he moved his arms up to a higher branch and continued scaling the tree until he was level with Luke's window, which had a small diagonal platform that connected with the rest of the roof for him to step onto. Han crawled over and motioned for Luke to step aside, entering the bedroom and dusting off his legs.

"Anyways, you two need to get out and have some fun." Han continued as if he hadn't just scaled two stories.

The younger of the two, still slightly shocked, sat back on the desk chair. "Listen, I'd like to, and queen tightwad over there might pretend that she doesn't but I know she does. But we'd be goners if our dad found out," he whispered hastily.

Han rolled his eyes, as if the solution was clear as day. "That's why you don't get caught, kid."

It was Luke's turn to roll his eyes. "Yeah, that's easier said than done."

"C'mon! I've got Chewie in my ride down the street, it's getting late anyways, your dad is probably about to go to sleep. We can just make sure the coast is clear, grab Leia, and go make an appearance just for a little while so you two can see what it feels like to be normal." Han almost seemed to beg.

Luke pondered the suggestion for a moment. He really, really wanted to go to his first high school party, and even though Leia wasn't the party type, he was sure she'd have fun. She knew practically everyone in the school, he told himself. And Han did make a good point, the clock read 9:30 and his dad was known for going to bed rather early... he knew he shouldn't. Every fiber of his being was screaming no. But something small in the very back of his mind whispered yes, and an unforeseen bout of confidence overtook Luke. He was going to that party.

"So you said Chewie is down the street, right?"

"That's what I like to hear, kid!" Han grinned and clapped a hand against Luke's shoulder.

Over in her bedroom, Leia set down her book when she heard hushed voices coming from Luke's bedroom. She swung her feet down from the wall and arose, suspicion taking over her as she decided to check out whatever was going on. And when she saw Han and Luke standing in Luke's bedroom as the blonde boy was grabbing a coat, she was surprised to find that she was less angry and more exasperated at the scene before her.

"Do I even want to know what the hell you two are doing?" She sighed, folding her arms and leaning against the doorframe.

"Nice digs," Han snorted, taking in Leia's frumpy outfit choice.

Straightening, Leia quickly fired back. "At least I'm at home, you look that bad all the time."

"Shut up. Go change, your highness, you two are going to a party."

Leia turned to her twin in disbelief. "Luke!" She kept her voice low but maintained her shocked tone.

"Leia, please?" Luke's head tilted to the side. "We never do anything fun, let's just go for a little bit."

"I'm surprised we haven't been caught already by dad's sixth sense!" Leia threw her hands up.

While the smarter side of the girl knew that sneaking out was possibly the worst idea one of them had ever concocted, a smaller part of her begged to know how it felt to experience a party that wasn't a simple family get together. Eyes switching back and forth from Luke, who had a serious look of supplication on his face, and Han, who wore a comical pout matched with eyes of a sad puppy dog. Taking a deep, heavy breath, Leia made her decision.

"Oh... alright. I'll go change. But we are only staying for thirty minutes!" She pointed at the boys with raised eyebrows.

"Thirty minutes." Han repeated.

—

Sneaking out was an adrenaline rush and then some for both of the twins. Han had to hold back a chuckle at the two of them, both resembling children who had never been into a toy store and had suddenly been given full freedom. It was almost endearing to the seventeen year old as he drove the group of four across town to Lando's house.

When they arrived, he realized it was not a house, but more of a mansion. From what Han could remember, Lando's family was extremely well off, as they owned their own mega business in the city, and it showed as they drove up on a long driveway that formed into a roundabout, surrounded by a perfectly manicured lawn. Once parked, the group approached the front entrance of the large, brick walled estate, which was notably surrounded by strange topiaries shaped in strange circle arrangements. Han discreetly peered into one of the windows and saw that there were multicolored lights flashing inside, indicating that the party was in full swing. Moments after entering the foyer, the quartet was approached by a dark skinned boy sporting a pale blue sweater, underneath it a white collared shirt and black tie.

"Look what the cat dragged in." He spoke in a honeyed tone.

Han cocked an eyebrow, stepping forward assuming there was about to be a confrontation.

"Aw, I'm just kidding, man! Come here!" Lando laughed, pulling Han by his wrist into a hug. "I haven't seen you in ages!"

Off guard, Han chuckled back as he pulled away. "Well that's what happens when you move off to private school,"

Noticing the group behind Han, Lando composed himself and stepped towards them. "Well, where are my manners. Who might you be?" He grabbed Leia's small hand, drawing it to his lips for a gentle kiss.

She did not find it appealing. "Leia." She replied monotonously.

"Alright... Chewie! How ya doin' big guy?" Lando moved awkwardly to the tallest of the group, clasping their hands for a shake.

Chewie responded with a nod of his head, as if to say "good, please leave me alone."

Arriving at Luke, Lando again outstretched his hand and the younger boy gladly accepted. "I'm Luke Skywalker, Leia's brother."

"Well, I'm glad you all could make it. There's refreshments over there," he pointed to the sitting room where a small table with various snacks could be seen. "And if you need anything, don't hesitate to find me."

Once he was gone, Leia let out a loud huff. "This is why I didn't wanna come."

"Actually, you didn't wanna come because you're scared your old man would catch you. Get your story straight, princess," Han gave a smug look. "C'mon, let's go get some food."

—

What was supposed to be thirty minutes turned into an hour, then into two. Eventually, Han and Leia had moved to the backyard for some fresh air, while Luke danced inside, clearly having found the heavier... refreshments.

"You're pretty," He slurred, leaning towards a red headed girl dancing near him.

"And you're drunk," She chuckled, speaking loudly over the music.

Luke's dance moves were something resembling trucking, although it looked more like him kicking his feet and waving his hands in the air off beat to Chuck Berry.

"You had any of that stuff in there? It's crazy good!" He giggled, pointing with his small cup towards the kitchen.

The girl laughed again, though she knew she probably shouldn't at this drunk stranger. "Here, let's go get you some air," she grabbed his upper arm, pulling him towards to front door.

The pair sat on the front porch steps, Luke leaning against one of the large pillars. "What's your name?" He quizzed.

"M.J. You're Luke, right?" The girl asked, resting her head on her fist.

"Mmhmm." Luke's voice resembled a child's.

M.J. nodded to herself, knowing she'd seen the kid around school a few times. "Well, Luke, do you have a ride home this evening? It's getting late."

Luke looked up, as if he was pondering a few philosophical question. "Uh... oh, yeah! My buddy Han, a real nice guy, you met him? He's gonna take me home in his car. It's a swell ride, it flies like a bird, like, like... a falcon!" He snickered to himself, rambling on and on.

Normally, M.J. was positively disgusted by boys who went to parties to get drunk, but something about this one seemed different. He seemed so innocent, it pulled on her heart strings a little even though he was a total stranger to her.

"That's great. Well I'll stay here with you til Han comes, okay?" She told him.

"Mmmhmm." Luke repeated.

Concurrently in the back yard, Han and Leia had settled into Lando's porch swing. There was a safe distance between them, but Leia was wrapped tightly in Han's leather jacket that he'd offered once he noticed her shivering. Mentally Leia was angry with herself for taking it, but physically she knew it was frostbite or wearing the stupid jacket.

"So, how's your first party been?" Han asked.

Leia used the tips of her toes, which barely reached the porch, to swing them gently. "Pretty fun, I guess it's worth the hype. I hope Luke's having fun, we kind of ditched him,"

Han shrugged. "He and Chewie are probably fine, they're both squares so they're probably sitting in the corner talking about math or something."

Leia let out a laugh, Han following suit. "What's the deal with you and that guy anyways? I know you said you defended him from some bullies, but why did he decide to become your best friend?"

"I dunno, he said he owed me one then he just never left me alone. Doesn't bother me though, he's done a lot for me." Han replied.

"Like what? If you don't mind me asking." Leia turned to her body was horizontal on the swing.

"My, we're feeling quizzy tonight," Han quipped. "And well... I ain't no orphan, but my momma... she ain't a very good lady. My dad ditched out when I was little and after he left, she decided drinkin' was more important than her kid. So I lived on my own for a little while, then Chewie came in and let me crash at his place. His mom loves me like her own, now." His voice was somber, almost sad.

Leia was taken aback by the sudden revelation. She had no idea Han had dealt with such a rough life, and she suddenly felt extremely guilty for all the times she'd complained about her dad. He would've been happy to just have a dad, she figured.

"Oh, I'm sorry..." she began, but was cut off.

"No, don't give me all that pity mess, I'm fine." He interrupted. He hated being pitied, that's why he never really told anyone about his life because he knew they'd try to help him. Han didn't need help, in his mind. Still, he felt so close to Leia sitting on that swing. He felt like they'd known each other forever.

"So what about you, princess? You got any deep dark secrets you'd like to share?" Han perked back up, turning the conversation to Leia.

A rollercoaster of thoughts rolled throughout the girl's mind as she debated what she could tell him without revealing too much. Leia made sure to always keep her guard up; that way she couldn't get hurt. But on the other hand, he had been so honest with her, so was it her responsibility to let him in as well?

"You want a deep secret or a funny one? I have both," she decided to let him choose the path for her.

Han feigned making a decision. "Hmm... both?"

In hindsight, Leia knew she should've seen that coming. "Well, first of all, when I was little, I used to steal Luke's shoes and hide them. I don't know why I did that, but dad used to get so cross with me and I just found it hilarious."

"God, you little criminal!" Han have a bemused laugh.

"And a deep secret?" Leia pondered a moment. "Sometimes I make up conversations in my head with people, just so I can say what I'm thinking or something. For example..." her voice trailed off, debating if she should continue. "I don't know. This is probably stupid."

Han shifted so his body was facing Leia's completely. "It's alright, you can tell me," his voice was serious.

"Well... sometimes I talk to my dad, just about school or soccer or stuff like that. I know if I were to bring it up to him in real life, he'd be short with me because I swear sometimes he hates me. But who knows, it's silly." She rambled.

"It's not silly," Han told her. "It's kind of sad, sure. But I don't think he hates you, he just doesn't know how to talk to you guys."

"Look at mister philosopher." Leia teased.

Han rolled his eyes and breathily laughed. "Whatever, I don't have to listen to you," he joked.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Leia glanced down at her watch. "Oh god, it's almost midnight. We should probably go," her voice sounded regretful.

"Yeah, you're right." Han agreed, standing with a grunt and offering his hand to Leia.

As the two of them stood, Leia still wrapped in Han's jacket, their eyes met. It was like a scene out of a film; the wind blowing gently, moving their hair and Leia's skirt. Moonlight bathed them in a shiny, silver glow and their bodies closer than either one of them realized. Han opened his mouth and for once in his life, he was speechless. Ever so slowly, Leia found herself leaning closer and closer, almost unaware of what she was doing. The spell was broken when Han turned his head.

"We... we should go get Luke and Chewie." He mumbled.

Leia coughed and nodded. "Yeah, yeah. We definitely should."

As the two moved around the side of the house to find the rest of their party, they met Chewie, who sat with a group of other seniors discussing one of the members' most recent hunting trip. After he joined Han and Leia, they rounded to the front porch and saw Luke slumped over, a redhead none of them had ever seen before perched next to him that explained that Luke had gotten himself rather drunk, and babbled himself to sleep. Looping him under arm, Han gave thanks to the girl and began carting Luke to his car. He made sure to warn the intoxicated boy that if he vomited anywhere near his beloved Ford, he wouldn't live to see the next day, a threat that Luke took very seriously and honored it with a salute and an "Aye Aye, captain".

After being dropped off down the block, Leia skillfully used the backdoor and made it back inside without getting either one of them caught. Once Luke was in bed and Leia was alone in her room, realization dawned on her- she hadn't taken off Han's jacket.


	5. Chapter 5

(A/n: hi gang! This is a short chapter, mostly just setup for the next one. Im sorry for the wait on this one, life is a little crazy at the moment! But I hope you enjoy nonetheless, you get to meet some new folks on this one.)

—-

That night, Leia tried desperately to go to sleep. She rolled over countless times and continually adjusted her pillow, but to no avail. She just couldn't get damn Han Solo out of her head, and she hated him for it. His leather jacket rested on the back of her chair, and it practically stared at her throughout the night, as if it was taunting her with a reminder of how foolish she'd been acting. Leia knew she shouldn't have sat outside with Han, letting him get close to her. She knew she shouldn't have taken his jacket when he offered it to her. And she knew she shouldn't have enjoyed smelling him on the leather. But she did, and it made her mad. The rational part of her brain told her that Han was no good, he would probably cheat on her or run away. Yet there was a voice of reason on the other side of her brain, telling her to remember how tender he'd been a few hours previous. That was the true Han; not the brash, quick to argue boy she'd spent nearly every day of the last few months with.

Growing tired of not being able to sleep, Leia swung her legs out of the bed and shuffled her feet into a pair of slippers, then covering herself in a pale blue bathrobe. She walked quietly down the stairs, heading to the kitchen for a glass of water.

"Where have you been?"

A cool voice made the girl nearly jump out of her skin. Leia turned to find her father sitting at the dining room table, a dim light on above his head. Dressed in a deep red bathrobe and dark sleep pants, a mahogany pipe sticking out of his mouth, Anakin looked truly like a villain from a film Leia had seen as a girl.

"In my bed, asleep?" She responded, doing her best to sound nonchalant.

"Is that so?" He replied, peering at her over a small pair of glasses. In his right hand, he held a novel from his extensive collection. "I could've sworn I heard the backdoor open, and then some footsteps going up the stairs."

Leia gripped her glass a little tighter, moving to fill it at the sink. "Maybe you were dreaming, dad."

"No, I don't think so.. see, I was woken up a few hours ago by the sound of someone climbing up a tree outside and then more than two voices coming from Luke's room. Would you know anything about that?" Anakin's voice was eerily cool.

The teenager turned to face her father and took a long sip from her glass, desperately figuring out a way to get out of this predicament. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You don't, do you?" He stood, moving into the kitchen where his daughter stood. "So if I were to call Luke down here right now, he wouldn't sound perhaps, drunk?"

Leia knew they were busted. "I-" she began, but was cut off by Anakin raising a finger.

"I don't know what on earth has gotten into you two. You never behaved like this before, and I have to wonder if it's that boy you've been hanging around. He strikes me as a delinquent." His words made Leia's blood boil. "I'm very disappointed in the two of you, and you should know that there will be repercussions for the both of you. We'll discuss in the morning, when Luke is sober, but for now... I'm thinking at least one month grounding. And you're not to talk to that boy anymore."

Leia's thoughts were racing faster than she could handle. How did Anakin know about Han? And how could she have been so stupid to believe sneaking out would actually work? She wished the tiled floor would open up and swallow her whole; it would be easier than having to continue looking up at her father's disappointed glare.

"Yes sir." Was all she said before she turned to go upstairs.

Back in her bed, she kicked off her slippers and crushed her face into her pillow, hot tears pouring down her cheeks.

—

That Monday, Leia sat next to Han in Biology but did not speak. He had made plenty of attempts to start a conversation, beginning with playful banter but gradually becoming more angry. He was clearly hurt by her short responses and didn't understand what was going on, but Leia just... couldn't deal with it today.

"Fine, princess, suit yourself." He sneered at Leia, rising quickly and slinging his backpack over his shoulder when the bell rang.

Sighing, Leia picked her bag up. "Han, wait."

He turned around just as rapidly as he'd stood, his face reading irritation but his eyes disagreeing.

"I uh... I have your jacket from the other night." She slid the bag around her torso, unzipping it and pulling the large piece of leather out.

Han rolled his eyes. "Keep it." He walked away.

As he stormed into the hallway, Han's face was hot with anger. Why was Leia being so rude to him today? He couldn't recall doing anything to upset her, in face the way he remembered it, the weekend had gone particularly well for them. That interaction had ruined his whole day, as far as Han was concerned, and he spent the next few periods sulking.

—

Luke didn't know what was worse- home, or school. In his house, tensions were higher than ever, and he knew his father was never going to let him out of the house again. Waking up Saturday morning to his father telling him how much of a disappointment he was offset his mood for Monday, but he hoped school would prove to be a safe haven.

He was wrong. Walking into her first period, he was mortified to find the girl he'd talked to at the party sitting in his class. Apparently, her first period teacher was out and the school couldn't find a sub, so Luke's class joined with hers for the time being. He was exceptionally embarrassed to see her, hazily remembering the drunken nonsense he'd spewed to... Maggie? Mary? He struggled to remember her name. It only got worse when she walked over to him.

"Well look who it is," M.J. crowed, taking a seat in the desk next to Luke.

"Um...hey." He stared at the desk.

"Luke, what's wrong with you? Don't tell me you're only fun when you're drunk," she laughed, giving him a punch to the shoulder.

The sandy haired boy looked up, eyes falling upon the bright red hair of Mara Jade, a Junior girl who, if Luke remembered correctly from the previous year, had been one of the students to tour his freshman class around.

"I'm sorry, I'm just a little out of it today." He shrugged, putting his head down in the desk, hoping she'd walk away.

M.J. Didn't move. "That's fine. I wanted to talk to you sober, though," she crossed her legs and leaned back into the chair.

Luke looked up at this girl he didn't know, wondering what he'd gotten himself into. "...okay?"

"I'm Mara, but everyone calls me M.J. You remember me, don't ya? You told me I was pretty, and almost vomited on me." She smiled and outstretched a hand.

The boy's face turned nearly maroon. "I'm.. so sorry, that was really impolite of me," he didn't recall telling her she was pretty, but the thought of acting in such a crass manner embarrassed him nonetheless.

M.J. Shrugged. "It's alright, you were acting so sweet, it didn't bother me."

Studying the girl's smile, a small one began to form on Luke's face as well as he sat up. Maybe school wasn't so bad.

—

Happy to see the end of another day, Han walked quickly to the parking lot after the bell rang. He was still angry with Leia, yet his thoughts kept returning to her. How did she have this ability to keep him wrapped around her finger? She was stubborn, kind of rude, and unpredictable. But somehow, he still found himself becoming more and more attracted to her. She was everywhere; his mind, his school... his car?

Han stopped in his tracks upon seeing Leia backing slowly towards his grey car. Before her was a tall senior dressed in a grey button up and black pants, a wicked smile on his face showing that he was enjoying whatever he was doing to the younger girl.

"C'mon, lemme take you out." The lanky boy, Leia thought his name was William, cooed.

"Leave me alone." She spat, turning away, but he caught her wrist tightly. Although she tried to remain stoic, fear pumped through her. He clearly wanted more than to go on a date, and it sickened her.

"That's not very nice," he put on a comical pout.

Leia yanked her wrist, but he only gripped tighter. "Fuck off!" She yelled.

"Now, there's no reason a pretty girl like you should be using language like that." He chastised, pulling her closer.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" She questioned, trying to yank away from him still. She used her free hand to throw a punch at him, but since she was so small in comparison to him, it didn't do much damage.

"Jeez, why are you so angry? You on the rag or something?" He rubbed his cheek gently.

Han gripped the strap of his bag, forgetting any anger he had held towards Leia and rushing over to the scene. Will, as he knew him, saw him approaching and laughed loudly. "Aw, Skywalker, you got your boyfriend to come save you? How sweet!"

"Shut the fuck up!" Leia shouted angrily, not caring about the students passing by. They clearly didn't care about her, as they hadn't stopped to help.

"Dude, back off," Han pushed Will's shoulder back a little.

"Or what?" Will turned to him, eyebrows raised expectantly.

Without a word, Han reared back, and with all of his strength, punched him as hard as he possibly could, square in the jaw.


	6. Chapter 6

(This short short chapter is dedicated to Cicatrick, because they're amazing and the only reason I got off my ass and wrote something today. I know this is barely 1,000 words , but that's because the next one is super super long so I decided to break them into two! I wanted to at least give y'all something. Don't forget to review, if ya feel like it!)

—

Leia bounced her leg impatiently, arms folded as she sat outside of the principal's office. Just on the other side of the wall sat Han, who was sporting a freshly bloodied knuckle but was doing his best not to show that it hurt. Leia couldn't believe Han; who did he think he was? She didn't need saving, she could've won that fight easily if he hadn't stepped in. But no, he was Han Solo, mister has-to-be-the-hero. The fear of what her father was going to say when she got home had long ago settled into the pit of her stomach, yet somehow was being overridden by the pure frustration at Han's idiocy.

Next to her sat Luke, who was purely confused at the whole situation and didn't understand why they were still there. "Why are you still sitting here? The principal already said you weren't in trouble," he slumped into the small plastic chair.

"I have some words for Han." She shot back.

"Listen, I don't think you need to be mad at him, he was just trying to help-"

"I didn't need help!" Leia interrupted, her tone letting Luke know that that was the end of the conversation.

"No need to bite my head off." Luke mumbled, standing from his seat. "I'm just gonna walk home."

Immediately feeling bad for taking her frustration out on her brother, Leia moved to stop him, but decided against it. They didn't live too far from the school, she supposed, and more importantly, he didn't need to know that the reason she was staying was because she cared about Han.

The clicking of the opening door alerted Leia out of her thoughts. Out stepped Han, looking reasonably frustrated, but his face changed when he saw she was still sitting there.

"What are you doing here?" his tone was unreadable to Leia.

"I had to make sure you weren't getting expelled." She replied snappily, grabbing her bag and standing up.

Han scoffed and picked his own bag up. "No, I'm not getting expelled, I just have detention all next week."

Internally, Leia was happy the punishment wasn't too drastic. She would hate to see something happen to him this far into his senior year. "Well, that seems appropriate."

The taller boy stopped and squinted at Leia. "Are you pullin' my leg?" His hands sat on his hips as he leaned in closer. "I saved your ass, and I don't even get a thank you?"

"I didn't need you to save me!" Leia faced him, craning slightly to look him in the eye. "I had it perfectly under control!"

"Like hell you did! That creep was about to hurt you and you couldn't defend yourself against him," his voice rose, though he almost didn't believe what she was saying. Only a few months ago had she broken a student's nose- she was perfectly capable of self defense.

Leia's eyes seemed to set on fire as if she was trying to kill Han with a glare. "What precisely is that supposed to mean?"

"I think you already know, princess." He rolled his eyes and started down the darkened hallway. "You ignore me all day, then when I try to do something nice despite that, you go all crazy on me? I ain't about that, sweetheart!"

Leia moved quickly with him, her little legs struggling to keep up with his long ones. "Fine, thank you! Is that what you want to hear?"

Han stopped sharply again. "No, what I wanna hear is what your deal is. You pull me in, making me think we got somethin' goin', and then you just kick me out? I don't get it!" He was yelling now, but it was clear to see he regretting being so vulnerable with his feelings, and his face hardened again.

Leia huffed sharply. "So you think I'm just some damsel in distress, waiting for you to save me." She rolled her eyes. "Well guess what, buddy, I can take care of myself, I don't need anyone, especially you!"

The two turned aggressively away from each other, Leia heading in the actual direction of the parking lot while Han had to take the long way around, too stubborn to even consider the other option.

—

Luke arrived home shortly before Leia did, legs tired and mind even more so. He knew he was about to get it from Anakin as soon as he stepped in the front door- so he thought.

It was 4:18, well past when Anakin was normally home. Luke looked around in confusion; every day after school, their father sat in the living room and read the paper or worked on something from his office. Yet the house seemed to be empty. Glancing into the driveway, Luke's brow furrowed further- his car was there, so where was he?

Luke ventured further into the house upon noticing that the door to his dad's office was closed. He assumed that's where he was, but the teen was still concerned as to why the man was holed in there and not berating Luke with questions as to why he was late and where Leia was. Just as he raised his hand to knock on the white door, he stopped.

"God, Paddy... I wish you were here. I don't know how to parent these kids, they need their mom,"

Luke's heart dropped. Was Anakin... talking to his mom? He was always so uptight, he definitely didn't seem like the type to talk to a dead loved one.

"Luke came home drunk and I grounded him, but I used to do that all the time! And Leia... she needs you, she needs her mom." Anakin coughed quietly, and Luke swore he heard a sniff.

The blonde felt his own eyes tearing up and he decided the conversation was none of his business. He quickly rushed upstairs and waited for Leia to arrive, mentally deciding against sharing the private moment.


End file.
